It’s hard to know where to even start with our journey. And sometimes I think why should I put it out here for all to read? But I think that God gives us our lives and stories to share with others for a reason. He uses them to proclaim His glory in some way so I’m compelled to share it. This will be the first of a few more posts to come. I can’t fit it all in one post for sure. If nothing else, this is for me to remember the incredible journey and the gift of this child. I don’t want to ever forget it.
My heart for adoption started 10 years ago when I went to Africa and saw beautiful children left without parents and needing a forever home. I said to myself then that one day I would adopt a child and I had every intention of it being one from Africa. Then fast forward to a few years into marriage and we have been told we are “infertile” but can take steps to change that. We miraculously get pregnant only to lose that baby. It’s a heartache that is hard to explain. Then we miraculously get pregnant with Jenna and that was not an easy journey from conception to birth. Then for 3 more years we pray for another child knowing it’s probably not going to happen. Jenna began asking for a sibling at age 2. That was hard to explain. Infertility is not something a two year old grasps well. In the mean time we have made the decision to move to a new city to do ministry because God has clearly asked us to do so. My heart still aching for a child we start to fill out an application for an Ethiopian adoption 3 different times and all three times God says, “not now.” Oh how I hated those words.
January of this past year came and we were preparing to move and knowing I wasn’t going to get pregnant or adopt yet we decided to give away all our baby stuff to great friends around us who were expecting. It was a joy to do so. Literally a week after we gave away the last of our baby stuff we got a call from another staff couple with the opportunity to adopt a child from a girl in their ministry. Oh the irony of timing. Honestly I was apprehensive and afraid with a little excitement. I had never wanted to do stateside adoption. It felt very risky to me. But after praying about it we knew God was saying to move forward. He gave us many signs along the way that He was leading this process and that we could trust Him. One night we were even out to eat and talking about all the ways that God was making it clear that we should adopt this baby like the birth mom and us both “randomly” choosing the same lawyer in Boise before we ever even talked and then I opened one of our fortune cookies and the fortune inside said “A chance meeting with a stranger may soon change your life.” We both laughed and almost cried when we read it. We don’t believe in fortune cookies but it was hilarious timing for sure.
I know that God chose this journey for us and it’s been one paved with pain at times. It’s been incredibly great, hard, and emotional to name a few. So that’s our beginning. Stay tuned for more soon.
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